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All of creation suffers, young ones. Only in accepting our own mortality can we make a difference. Only in bearing the burden of our failures can we find the strength to go on. Only in detachment from glory, or honour, or jealousy... from life itself can we hope to spare others from grief.
We are Doom Eagles. And we are dead already.

Review: World War Z - Max Brooks

Title - World War Z

Author - Max Brooks

Year - 2006

Stand Alone or Series - Stand Alone

Pages - 342

Reading Time - 243 days (Abr & Nov 2010)

Rating - 8.5/10

Summary

It began with rumours from China about another pandemic. Then the cases started to multiply and what had looked like the stirrings of a criminal underclass, even the beginnings of a revolution, soon revealed itself to be much, much worse. Faced with a future of mindless, man-eating horror, humanity was forced to accept the logic of world government and face events that tested our sanity and our sense of reality. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and key players in the 10-year fight-back against the horde, "World War Z" brings the very finest traditions of American journalism to bear on what is surely the most incredible story in the history of civilisation.

Review

This is a book to anyone who enjoys a good zombie fiction. I think nowadays there are a lot of fiction movies, books tv series out there. It has became a mainstream as vampires, werewolves and such. I think it is the (un)natural need of human to be frighting... andrenaline perhaps?

This book is a bit different from others out there. As you know I am a fan of zombies having read dozens books or seen dozens movies. I consider them to be the most interesting fiend of mankind. Better than vampires or werewolves.. This tale as I was saying follows not the attack itself or the survival of humankind but several other aspects. As the book begins we know the war was one by humankind. But what cost? Who were the people involved? How did they reacted to plague? How did they survive? And when did the counter attack began? What happenned to the world after the apocalpyse? This are some of the questions that Max Brooks presents and give answers of course in form of.... a Interviews. Yes. This is a journalist going around the world to talk to the regular joe, or a big star general. He goes from USA to Cuba to China to South Africa to Japan or Russia and other dozen countries. Each have their own way to fight the zombies and survive. We see a democractic and capitalist Cuba as China or a Russia is now a Theocracy, Tibet is now free and has the biggest city. One thing I found more curious was North Korea. What a hell happened to them? It's an empty country. No Living and No Dead. They just went underground. Why? It reminds me of a dystopia novel. They go underground to save themselves then the goverment lies to them that it still dangerous when it's not... and centuries go by.

As you can see it's quite good a book. It tells something of an up-ending doom that could awaits us (not the zombies but an atomic war mayhaps?). It also criticizes the government ineptitude (Hurricane Katrina), corporate corruption and human faults and mostly Isolationism. There are also some cases of survivalism... but for you to get this you must read the novel.

As I said; it was interesting read. There are some interviews pretty boring but others are just great. Most of them I imagine what they have passed and I bet Brooks could write a novel for each character. Or some of them...

It's an excelent addition to the Zombie genre. I know a movie is going to be made but I wonder how will it be made since it's interviews... Let us hope and see...